


Fill the Spaces In Between

by sightandsound3733



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-24
Updated: 2015-04-11
Packaged: 2018-03-19 09:51:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3605772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sightandsound3733/pseuds/sightandsound3733
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Delta was ready for college. Living on his own, juggling classes and extra-curriculars, and of course, his best friends. One thing he was definitely not prepared for was a romance. </p><p>And that's exactly what he's starting to hope he'd find in Maine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Churbooseanon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Churbooseanon/gifts).



“York, if you’d please just calm down—”

“I’m not gonna calm down D!” Delta pulled the phone away from his ear at his friend’s shout. He sighed, hitching his bag higher on his shoulder as he made his way across the busy campus green.

“I don’t see how you pitching a fit is going to make matters any better,” Delta chided him dully. They’d been having the same conversation for the course of the last week, since they had both received their room assignment letters in the mail. It had been quite a surprise to see mismatched numbers on each form, breaking the illusion that they were to live together for the upcoming school year.

They were both coping with the sudden change with varying degrees of intensity.

“It’s better than being so damn accepting about the whole thing,” York grumbled into the phone, his statement punctuated by what sounded like him managing to knock over a stack of boxes. “We have been separated against our will and wishes! And I for one am not going to stand for it.” Delta resisted the urge to rub at his temples as he walked into the dorm building.

“Tone down the dramatics if you would York, they are completely unnecessary. We live just a building apart, it is not the end of the world.” He started up the stairs, rolling his eyes at the huffy sigh that answered him over the phone. “You are such a child.”

“You say that like you’re just realizing this.” Delta could physically hear the smirk on his friend’s lips and the thought alone made him want to groan as well as grin. York was one of a kind, and for all his ridiculous behavior, Delta knew he would sorely regret a life without York in it.

“Trust me, I’m very familiar with your immaturity,” Delta chuckled into the phone in spite of himself, shouldering open the door to the third floor wing of dorms. “Now are you going to open the door for me or not? I’m just up the hall.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.” The phone call disconnects, and a door opens further down the hall. York’s head pops out and despite the mood he was undoubtedly still stewing in about the room assignment, because York just did not let things go easily, he’s grinning at Delta. Delta can’t help but smile back. Even when York leans against the doorframe, grin shifting into a smirk that pulls at the old scars that carve up his face and says, “Took you long enough. Just a building over my ass.”

“Hello to you too York.” Delta rolls his eyes, slipping past his friend’s long body without hesitation. “I’m not surprised you weren’t listening when I told you over the phone I was coming from the tutoring center, not my dormitory.”

York just grinned at him in response, propping the door open with a wedge before walking up, slinging an arm around Delta’s shoulders. “Of course I was listening, D. Just slipped my mind is all.”

“Of course.” Delta rolls his eyes up at him, skirting out from under York’s arm, but he’s smiling. He takes the opportunity to scan around the common area that connected York’s bedroom to his roommate’s. There were boxes stacked on either side of the room, some he recognized as ones he had helped York pack up, leaving the others to logically belong to York’s roommate. Which speaking of…

“Dude, are you sure you don’t want me to help?”

It was clear that the question was not directed at him, but Delta still turned to York, a question halfway to his lips. The question immediately died in his throat as he saw exactly who it was that York was talking to.

Striding into the common room was a tall, broad shouldered figure, carrying a stack of boxes with surprising ease, clearly defined muscles rippling under the weight of them. Delta was barely aware of the way his eyes tracked the figure as he moved across the room, setting down the boxes, or the way his gaze followed the curve of this stranger’s spine.

Well then.

“It’s fine, that was the last of them.” The voice was smooth and deep, and surprisingly quiet considering the size of the man it belonged to. He stood up to his full height, turning to face them while running a broad hand over his shaved head. “Thanks for offering, though.”

Delta felt his breath catch at the tip of his tongue as he caught sight of this man’s face. Now, Delta was not really one to get caught up in the aesthetics someone’s appearance. He’d spent long enough around York to be immune to the charms of a well sculpted jaw and a winning smile. But yet here he was. Stunned by what was easily the most beautiful man Delta thinks he’s ever seen.

Everything about his features seemed to suggest they were carved, hard and intense with the lines of his bone structure under a dark, even skin tone. But there were little things that seemed to soften the look about him. The curve of a mouth that looked like it hid a stunning smile, the slope of a nose just the slightest bit bent out of shape, the soft gentleness of a pair of near golden brown eyes. Delta wasn’t one for aesthetics, but apparently this was a different case altogether.

“Not a problem.” York shrugged, motioning toward where Delta stood at his side a moment later, clapping a hand to the shorter man’s shoulder with a smile. “This is my buddy Delta. The one I mentioned I was supposed to be living with. We’re horribly codependent and I will perish without him in my life, so you’ll probably see a lot of him around.”

The man smiled in answer, offering out one of those broad hands in greeting and, wow Delta had been right. He had a beautiful smile. He couldn’t even attempt to muster up any form of annoyance that York’s teasing would have normally brought about, not after catching sight of that smile.  “Nice to meet you. You can call me Maine.”

Delta composed himself, smiling back a bit in return as he reached out with his own hand to return the offer of a handshake. Maine’s hand engulfed his warmly. There were calluses on his palm and in the edges of his fingertips. Delta suppressed the urge to shiver. “It’s a pleasure.”

Their hands seemed to linger past the point of polite formalities, if only for a few seconds, but neither commented on it. York seemed oblivious, starting off toward one of his stacks of boxes with a comment about something that Delta really couldn’t care less about, not when he was still held under that stunning gaze of Maine’s.

The smile on the taller man’s lips stretched just a bit. Delta felt his cheeks burn hot and he was the one to drop their hands, and the connection that tethered them at their gazes, his heart stuttering unfamiliarly in his chest. He needed to get a handle on himself before he did anything embarrassing. York was the embarrassment in their decade long relationship, not him.

True to the observation York was squawking at the coffee maker he was attempting to set up in the small kitchenette, calling Delta’s name over his shoulder. Delta shook his head, with a small sigh, the movement allowing him to gather his bearings a bit more.

“If you’ll excuse me, Maine.” He chanced another smile up at the man, who seemed content to just observe, his eyes resting steadily on Delta’s face and… well Delta wasn’t really sure what to make of that. “It was nice to meet you. I… look forward to spending some actual time getting to know you later, when York doesn’t require my… assistance.”

“The feeling is mutual.” Maine smiled again, warm and slow. Delta just barely caught himself before his teeth could catch on his lower lip. What was happening right now? He wasn’t sure. He took the opportune moment of the coffee maker beeping loudly and York cursing to slip his attention away from Maine, walking quickly away as his heartbeat skipped all over the place.

Delta slipped a hand to York’s shoulder, gently pulling his friend away from the machine, and got to work on sorting out the problem (he’d manage to reset the time to a completely different timezone and set an alarm for 3 am continuously, York why). York breathed a sigh of thanks and relief, but the sound that Delta was honed in on was the soft padding of steady footsteps  retreating into the bedroom on the far side of the room.

He had a strange feeling that this was going to be a very interesting year.


	2. Chapter 2

Delta was not very often wrong about things, it was just a fact. But it seemed that he had been wrong about Maine’s presence making things interesting.

If only for the fact that he seemed to rarely see the boy.

It was to be expected, in all actuality. With classes starting up and everyone trying to find a steady sense of being on campus it wasn’t as if Delta expected to constantly spend all of his time bumping into Maine, and trying to muddle through exactly why it was he seemed to drawn to the tall, ridiculously handsome man. But still, with the amount of time he spent with York, both in and out of his friend’s dorm room, he had presumed to see Maine at least somewhat consistently.

Much to his own disappointment he was wrong.

That’s not to say that he never saw Maine. But it was never for much longer than maybe ten minutes or so at a time. Their class schedules were too different, placing them on entirely different major tracks. The majority of their interactions tended to simple meetings in the common room, usually while Delta was making coffee.

Their longest conversation to date had revolved around the fact that York was inhuman for drinking his coffee black, and the type of coffee creamer that Delta preferred and that he carried in the side pocket of his bag when he knew he’d be studying with York instead of alone in his single room the next building over. It had been a lovely conversation, easy as breathing, and filled with soft chuckles that made Delta’s heart miss beats in a way that was pleasant and painful all at once.

He wished it was a feeling he could experience more often. It left warmth lingering in the spaces between his ribcage and it seeped into his bones to follow for hours after they had seen each other last.

It was something that often plagued his thoughts in his free moments, trying to put a name to the feeling or make sense of what exactly lingered between him and this man he barely knew. It was the thing on his mind as he followed York up the stairs to his dorm, half listening as his friend was prattling on about this blond in his economics class (or was it his math class) and how he wanted to pin this boy to a wall apparently and press bruises into pale skin (or was it press kisses to tanned freckles?). It only occurred to Delta after York opened the door to his room, bemoaning a "they", a consistent use of plural pronouns and two distinct descriptions, that he hadn’t been paying nearly enough attention to the conversation.

“York… please tell me you are not talking about two seperate people.” Delta stopped in the doorway for a moment, partly to process this new information and partly to spare a hopeful glance to the door that was closed across the room. Something fell in his chest. Maine always left his door open if he was in the dorm.

“Of course I am. Were you not paying attention? Wash and North are trying to kill me. My life is being destroyed by attractive blonds.” York threw his bag down on the couch, falling haphazardly into the beat up arm chair he and Maine had found at an estate sale shortly after moving in. He glanced at Delta with mild surprise, and a frown. “Were you seriously not listening?”

“I… must have gotten some signals crossed.” Delta shook his head to clear his mind, reaching up to tuck some of the hair that had fallen loose from his ponytail back behind his ear. Only York would find himself so apparently deeply enthralled with two men at the same time. “I apologize for not paying closer attention.”

“You can make it up to me by making coffee so I don’t have to move.” York flashed him a smile, one that Delta knew had most people falling over themselves to bend to his will, but merely just made Delta want to throw things at him. He didn’t argue though, merely rolled his eyes and walking over to switch on the coffee maker.

York dove back into his previous train of thought, about the tall, graceful North with eyes like burning sapphires and the smaller Wash with the charming smile and the cute dimples that flashed when he laughed. Delta shook his head with a small smile, leaning up on his toes to reach the mugs in the cabinet, trying to listen more carefully now to York as he prepped for the coffee.

He moved over to the fridge, York’s larger than normal “mini” fridge that he had charmed the RA into letting him keep. He had forgotten to grab his bottle of flavored creamer from his own dorm and would have to settle for simple milk and sugar. He opened the door and stilled, blinking in surprise.

Sitting on the shelf, next to the milk was the exact brand and flavor of coffee creamer that Delta preferred to use. He pulled it out and inspected the bottle. It was unopened, still sealed completely. Had York been exceedingly considerate and gone out to grab a bottle for Delta to keep over here?

Delta glanced over his shoulder to where York was struggling to find words to describe the exact color of Washington’s eyes (They’re like a grey… no that’s not right, it’s too bland. What’s a different word for grey that would be more intense…?), and for some reason found himself doubting his friend, just a bit.

“York?” Delta asked, cutting off his friend’s train of thought midstream. York looked up at him, blinking in confusion as to why Delta stood silhouetted in front of the open refrigerator. “Did you buy me coffee creamer?”

“What?” York sat up a bit, squinting at the bottle of creamer Delta held in his hand. Delta bit back the reprimand that lingered at the tip of his tongue. York’s failing eyesight was always a touchy topic between the two, had been ever since the car accident that had caused damage to the left half of his face and his eye years ago.

“This bottle of creamer.” Delta calmly walked forward enough so York could get a clearer view of the bottle. “Did you buy it for me? I know you take your coffee black, and that Maine prefers to drink tea over coffee, so…?”

York blinked at the bottle, shrugging after a moment and relaxing back into his chair. “Yeah, no. I didn’t buy it. Saw it in there this morning and thought it looked familiar. Thought you had just decided to keep it over here instead of carrying it back and forth like you do.” His phone buzzed and York’s attention was drawn almost immediately, leaving Delta standing in the middle of the common room, holding the creamer and feeling exceedingly confused.

If York hadn’t bought it, (and really what had he been thinking, York didn’t know how he took his coffee, let alone the specific blend of flavors he preferred) then that really left only one option.

Maine.

Delta walked back to the counter, worrying his lower lip between his teeth as he set about pouring and preparing each of their mugs separately, thinking all the while. Maine had gone out sometime in the midst of his busy schedule to pick up Delta’s specific brand of coffee creamer to store in the fridge… and he wasn’t entirely sure why.

It was such a small, insignificant thing, but Delta couldn’t help the small touch of warmth that was starting to spread out from the center of his chest, just thinking about the small gesture. It… it meant that Maine had actually been listening when Delta had admitted to being a bit of a sucker for the gentle sweetness that the French Vanilla added to the sharp bitterness of the coffee. He was so glad that he was facing away from York as he cracked open the seal on the bottle and poured a dose of the sweet creamer into his cup, he was sure that his smile was growing quite ridiculous as he mixed his drink.

“So what’s the deal, you crack the code on the creamer?” York asked, setting his phone onto the small coffee table with a quiet clatter, sitting up as Delta turned around with the coffee, a much more subdued smile touching at his lips.

“I guess Maine must have bought some after we talked the other day and he saw me take a bottle out of my bag.” Delta was surprised to hear the gentle warmth that was curled within his words. “I’ll have to do something to thank him.”

“He’s a cool dude.” York took his mug of steaming coffee with a wide grin, his gaze flickering toward his phone as it buzzed again. Delta chuckled softly, weaving around York’s sprawled form, taking a seat on the couch. He took a sip of his coffee, smiling into the mug as the mix of flavors hit his tongue, the taste only sweetened by the gesture it was a product of.

They sat together in silence for a few comfortable moments, York tapping out something on his phone, Delta thinking about soft, small smiles and warm, attentive eyes. It was only broken when York groaned softly, clearly frustrated and set his phone aside. Delta arched an eyebrow at him in explanation, which only prompted a sigh.

“I just…” York set his coffee down on the table and rubbed over his eyes. “I don’t know how to handle this, D. They are just so…” He truly seemed at a loss for words and Delta was now officially intrigued. These boys truly meant something to York. He had never seen his friend so flustered. It brought a smile to Delta’s lips.

“Do you have a picture of them?” Delta asked, taking another draught of his coffee. York nodded even as his brow furrowed in confusion. He didn’t question Delta, knowing better after so many years, merely quickly scrolled through his phone to find said picture, and handed the device over to Delta with another sigh.

“That’s them, on the right.”

The picture was of a group of people, all who Delta vaguely recognized from around campus and classes, it wasn’t a very large school after all. York was missing from the picture, clearly having been the one taking it. It seemed they were all at the aftermath of one of the school’s football games from the insanity that was clearly occurring in the background.

Surprisingly enough, Maine was in this picture as well and Delta’s gaze was drawn to him first. He looked amazing, all decked out in the black and gold colors of their school team, the jersey fitting to his muscles in an incredibly appealing way that Delta knew he could easily focus in on and stare at for a little while. He was smiling, which was always a nice sight, but it wasn’t just for the picture it seemed. The smile was aimed down a bit, at a blond girl with fuchsia tips in her hair. She was very pretty with bright eyes and her lips were twisted in a beautiful grin. The way Maine was smiling at her, and the way he had one arm wrapped around her waist would suggest that he knew her very well. Delta felt something sour rise at the back of his throat for a moment… until he noticed the way the girl’s hand was twined tightly with the girl beside her.

Now she was someone Delta knew. Her name was Connie, and she was a sweet girl that he shared quite a few classes with. She was bright, witty and sharp, Delta was quite fond of her. Connie had a girlfriend on campus, that Delta had never met, but he knew the little brunette was incredibly enamored with her. The way Connie was smiling at this girl in the picture matched up with the way that Delta had heard her talk about her girlfriend and… wow he’d almost been a complete fool.

Well that had been an… interesting reaction.

Delta shook it off, pushing all thoughts of that aside for a moment before focusing in on the pair of boys on the far side of the picture. Both were blond, and both were very attractive. The taller of the two looked surprisingly enough a bit like Connie’s little girlfriend, with similar facial features that were easily recognizable. North, as York had said he was taller, had a gentle smile and bright blue eyes, Delta could see how York could get lost in this man. The smaller of the two, Wash, wasn’t so much as grinning into the picture as smirking fantastically. Freckles dances across this man’s face and his eyes sparkled with a laugh that Delta imagined was about to bubble past his lips at the time of the picture.

“Do you understand my problem?” York whined, falling back in his chair, quite dramatically, tangling his hands in his hair. “They’re gorgeous and funny and smart and interested as far as I can tell but I’m getting absolutely nowhere! I don’t know what to do. I’m literally losing my mind over here D.” Delta ignored him, focusing down on the picture for just a few moments before setting the phone back down.

“Gunmetal steel.” Delta suppressed a laugh as York bolted up in his chair in response to what he had said. York blinked at him as though he had never quite seen Delta before in his life.

“What?”

“Wash’s eyes.” Delta clarified with a smile, tapping the phone before taking another sip of his coffee. “You were struggling for a color for them earlier. Something more intense than grey, but not overpowering enough to cross over into the bluer range of eye colors. Gunmetal steel.”

York’s eyes lit up happily and he grinned as he reached for his phone, pulling up the photo again. “Yeah…” He looked so unbelievably pleased that Delta couldn't help but smile wider with him. York was so far gone. It was kind of adorable actually. “D, that’s perfect. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Delta sat back against the couch, watching York and thinking of not sparkling eyes of gunmetal steel, but of warm golden brown eyes that danced with happiness when they’re owner smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come find me on tumblr!
> 
> sights-sounds-and-rain.tumblr.com


	3. Chapter 3

Delta doubled his efforts to try and sneak some more time with Maine, trying his best to be discreet. He wasn’t sure if it was working, but he was always greeted with a smile from the taller man and that was enough to make him really not care if he was being the most obvious thing in the world.

Obvious about what was a whole other story though.

It had been months, nearly a full semester and Delta still hadn’t been able to put a name to the strange warmth that bloomed in his chest at the mere thought of Maine. Or to be able to spend more than just a handful of minutes alone with him.

Delta had tried, he really had tried to make some deliberate time to “catch” them alone in the same room, or even just with York around, but no dice. The football season was coming to a close soon, and the team had been doing very well. Which to Delta simply meant that that was more time Maine spent at practice or in the weight room, training.

It was getting ridiculous.

So ridiculous that Delta found himself inquiring (so very casually) of York when the next football game was, that he’d like to go. The way that York absolutely froze in place, mouth dropped open in preparation to take a bite of pizza would have been hilarious in any other circumstance.

"Did you just ask about football?" York gaped at him. "As in, the sport?" Delta rolled his eyes and took a sip from his water bottle.

"You know, with your mouth hanging open like that it really is quite a wonder why Wash and North won't accept your advances, Really, truly unfathomable."

"Don't be mean." York pouted at him, only relenting as Delta didn't even relax his unamused stare. York set his dinner aside with a sigh. "Sorry, you just caught me off guard, alright?” Delta dipped his head in an acknowledgement of the apology as well as an indication for York to continue. “There’s a game on Friday. I’m heading over to watch with Lina.”  
  
“Would you mind if I joined you?” Delta asks, surveying York over the top of his water.   
  
“Course not,” York grins. “God when was the last time you even got to see Carolina for more than ten minutes? Your schedules are both so different.”  
“It’ll be good to see her,” Delta agrees with a smile. “I had lunch with her a few weeks ago, but since her team made the fall season finals it’s been hard to pin down a time where we’re both free.”  
  
“We need to have a day where it’s just us,” York nods firmly, already taking his phone out, probably to text her with the same request. “It’s been forever since the trio got together.”  
  
“Do not call us ‘the trio’,” Delta laughs, shaking his head. “It’s weird and makes us sound like a strange cartoon gang.”  
  
York snorts in response, still typing the message into his phone. “I don’t care what we sound like, as long as we get together. Between yours insane class load, and hers and her sports AND her juggling her brother’s drama and whatever dude she’s got on her arm this week it’s crazy. I miss you two.”  
  
“You see me all the time,” Delta reminds him with a fond smile. “Nearly every day. We’re being fairly true to what you told Maine about being co-dependent. And I know you see Carolina just as often as you do me.”  
  
“Well yeah,” York shrugs, grinning at him. “You two have crazy schedules. I don’t. I get to see you two a often as you let me.”  
  
Delta laughs, and makes the executive decision to go back to eating. He wished things with other people (maybe some tall, unfairly gorgeous people) were as easy as things were with York.

Carolina is more than enthusiastic to meet up with them before the game and she even stops by Delta’s room beforehand, bright and beautiful as ever and bringing with her a jersey for him to wear.   
  
“Hey D,” she grins as he opens the door. “Put this on, okay?” Carolina thrusts a swath of black and gold cloth into his hands, laughing as he blinks blankly back at her.  
  
“Hello to you too, Carolina,” he manages, unfolding the jersey in his hands, a blush rising high in his cheeks when he see’s that it’s a football jersey, bearing Maine’s number. “I..."  
  
“Thought you’d like that,” she laughs, sweeping into his room, her red hair loose from it’s usual ponytail and streaming behind her. She was wearing a jersey of her own, but Delta wasn’t sure who’s number she wore. “And Maine will like it too.”  
  
“How did you even know I... ?” His blush goes warmer and she laughs, clearly amused. She sits down on the edge of his bed, crossing her legs as she watches him.  
  
“Come on Delta, it’s me,” Carolina says with a warm smile. “We’ve been friends for how long now? I’ve seen the way you look at him.”  
  
“Six years,” he supplies with a soft laugh, shaking his head. She laughs and grins at him, leaning over to kiss his cheek and he has to be reminded of the day that York brought them all together and declared them best friends.   
  
“Put it on,” she insists, smiling. Delta laughs again before getting to his feet to do just that. He strips his shirt off, neither of them flinch, having been in this position far too many times to be anything but comfortable. Carolina hums in approval as he straightens out the jersey.   
  
“Do I look alright?” He asks, nervous now at the implications of wearing this jersey, with Maine’s number. Wasn’t this the type of thing that sweethearts do? “I… Is this too forward? Carolina I don’t--”  
  
“Nope, stop right there,” she smiles at him getting to her feet and taking him by the hand. “We’re going to the game, you’re going to wear Maine’s number, and we’ll have fun. He’ll see you in the jersey and love it and it’ll be good for you.”  
  
“You don’t know that Carolina,” Delta sighs at her, but he still has to smile, small and fond.   
  
“Yes I do. I know everything,” she grins as she snags his keys off the hook on the wall and slips them into her back pocket so he would have to go with her. “You know that.”  
  
“Yes, I suppose I do,” He muses, shaking his head. Carolina knows best after all. It’s how it’s always been.   
  
She guides them out of the dorm, to the football pitch and into the stands, easily finding York with a laugh, pointing him out to Delta. York, as always, is proving himself to be one of a kind, sitting shirtless in the stands with his chest painted black and gold.   
  
“Certainly one step up from a jersey,” Delta comments dryly as Carolina nearly snorts with laughter. They weave up into the crowds of people in the stands, the noise from all the people a near dull roar, before York can try to flag them down. “What on earth are you doing?” he asks his idiot of a friend as they sit.  
  
“I’m making an impression!” York declares, beaming. Delta laughs, tucking the loose hair from his ponytail behind his ear and choosing to look out toward the field, searching the bodies for the number that matched the one on his chest, stomach flipping in what he would have supposed to be excitement when it caught his eyes.  
  
“You certainly are. Gold’s a good color on you,” Carolina says instead, kissing York’s cheek in greeting.  
  
“Lina, why must you encourage him?” Delta asks, smiling, not looking away from where Maine was… well he was doing something football-ey. What exactly it was Delta had no idea. But there was a football involved. He could see that clearly enough from where he sat.   
  
“Because it’s funny to watch him make a fool of himself in front of Wash,” Carolina laughs, pointing out a group of people further down in the stands. Delta tears his gaze away from Maine for the moment to look where she’s indicating.

He could see Connie, and her pretty blonde girlfriend from the photo on York’s phone sitting with Wash, who was wearing a jersey similar to Delta’s and Carolina, but with a different number on it. Must be North’s, Delta muses to himself. He kept shooting York these glances, looking both amused and outright exasperated, a smile on his lips.

“Hey he’s paying attention to me which I count as a win,” York grins, clearly proud of himself. Carolina just laughs and shakes her head.   
  
“Only you would try to go after a couple.”  
  
“So they are dating each other?” Delta asks as the noise level shoots up with apparent excitement. The game is starting up, with all the fanfare that Delta is aware of pop culture, the marching band playing something jovial and the announcers getting everyone hyped up as the players  from both teams come together on the field.

Carolina waits a bit before answering him, laughing as York springs to his feet like an absolulte idiot (their idiot though, always theirs) and cheers for the team. She turns to Delta so he can hear her better and smiles. “Yes, they’re dating. Have been since high school apparently and came here together. But they’re interested in York, that’s for sure.”  
  
“Interesting,” Delta hums before his attention drifts back to the field, back to Maine. He’s easy to spot on the field, big and broad, made even more of an impressive figure with the added bulk of the pads under his uniform.

Carolina kindly gives him play by plays as the game continues, more than happy to help smooth out where Delta’s confusion spikes. He was really going to have to learn more about this damn sport.

By the last quarter of the game the tension has risen in the crowd. It was close, or so he was told, and the roar that runs through their side of the field is deafening as the time runs out and the game comes to an end.  
  
York is on his feet again. cheering himself hoarse and Carolina is up with him, grinning as she applauds with the rest of the crowd. Delta can surmise that they’ve won and he smiles. Good.

He can’t quite seem to muster up the same excitement, but even from where he is he can see Maine whipping off his helmet and laughing, throwing his arms around a teammate and pulling them into a tight hug.  
  
Carolina’s hand is in his and Delta is being pulled from his seat. “Come on!” she calls, grinning still.   
  
“Where are we going?” He has to shout to be heard. He doesn’t fight her grip, but he does look around for York’s painted self. Delta can see him making his way down the stands to where Wash is, even as the blond seems to be making away to follow Carolina’s lead out of the stands.  
  
“The field!” She laughs, getting them down through the cheering crowd and onto the sidelines. She has no qualms about weaving them in and out of people and then players. A few of them see her and just laugh, letting them pass. A few wolf whistles and Delta has to wonder what the hell was going on.  
  
“Carolina!” He calls as he’s pulled further out still. “What are we doing?”  
  
“Trust me, D,” is the only response he gets before she’s letting go of his hand and he’s stumbling forward from the lack of stability and the new momentum. He barely has time to process that he’s falling before he’s being caught and stabilized again.   
  
What he does process if the feeling of a pair of strong arms supporting him and the firm chest that’s connected to them. Delta blinks before looking up and immediately he can feel himself color.  
  
“Woah,” Maine chuckles, setting him on his feet. “You alright there, Delta?”  
  
Words. Words need to be spoken. He is a sentient person more than capable of coherent speech and he needs words- oh God he was going to murder Carolina and-- “Maine! I.. it's...Fine. I'm fine,” he manages, only sounding the smallest bit like he’s choking.

Maine chuckles again, the sound like satin on velvet and smiles warmly at him. His gaze drifts down over Delta and he seems to process what he’s wearing. Delta just blushes a hair more red as Maine’s grin stretches.  
  
“You look good,” he says, tucking his helmet under his arm. “Black and gold… good colors on you.”

“Thank you,” Delta manages, swallowing drying and taking a moment to glance around for Carolina. Oh she was so dead. He was going to absolutely destroy her for this, throwing him to the sharks like this that was such a---oh she’s making out with someone.   
  
Delta blinks and actively stares. Maine follows his gaze and laughs.

“Oh good,” he shakes his head, grinning. “Lina picked Tucker tonight. That’ll make him happy.”   
  
“Why does that sound like she just picks and chooses between your teammates?” Delta asks, blinking as Carolina leans up on her toes even as she breaks the kiss, smirking at the handsome boy whose neck she had her arms looped around and who’s dreads her fingers were curling in.  
  
“Because that’s what happens,” Maine shrugs, laughing still. Delta watches for a moment more, as the boy, clearly built leaner than Maine, but still built enough, laughs at something she’s said, his hands curled possessively in the jersey she wore, the length of her hair, just tickling at his knuckles. He hardly seemed to mind and his smile was brilliant before leaning down to steal another kiss from her laughing mouth.  
  
“Well then,” Delta blinks again before turning back to Maine. They were so close he could feel the heat radiating off of him. “I must admit that is a side to her I have never seen.”  
  
“Happens after every game,” Maine smiles at him, running a hand over his head. “Victory kiss and all that. Usually doesn’t show up before the game so the guys don’t see who’s number she’s got on her back.”  
  
“That makes it sound like she’s involved with your whole team. Please tell me that's not what you're insinuating,” Delta frowns a bit at that. Carolina had always been… free with her affections, but Delta hadn’t thought that she was quite _that_ free.  
  
“Nah,” Maine waves it off with another soft laugh. “Just between Felix and Tucker, really. They all kind of just fool around a bit I guess. I don’t know I try not to get involved.”  
  
“Seems to be the best plan,” Delta smiles at him. Maine smiles back and they fall silent like that, just smiling at each other as the world spins on around them. The crowd is but a dull roar, Maine’s teammates are all starting to trek off the field with time, and they just stand, caught in each other’s gaze.   
  
Delta’s heart beats fast, and he doesn’t break their eye contact as he speaks, just a touch softer now that the noise had died a bit around them. “So… that was some game.”  
  
“I-- Thanks,” Maine’s cheeks seem to dark just the smallest bit, though Delta’s sure that might be a trick of the light. “I’m gonna be honest,” he says, smiling warmly as he always did. God he had a great smile. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”  
  
“Football… isn’t really my thing,” Delta admits, as though it was a surprise to everyone. Maine just smiles a touch wider.  
  
“And yet you’re here,” he notes.  
  
“And yet I’m here,” Delta agrees, smiling up at Maine, tucking loose hair back behind his ear. They’re easily caught up in each other again, not for as long, but it might as well have been an eternity for all that Delta couldn’t remember breathing. Maine is the one to break it this time.   
  
“Do you want to get a bite to eat?”  
  
As much as words had failed him at the start of this, as warm as he was sure his cheek still were and as much as those words sent a thrill of panic through him, Delta smiles up at him.   
  
“I would love that.”  
  
Seems he wouldn’t need to kill Carolina just yet.


	4. Chapter 4

A bite to eat turned into three hours sitting in a booth at the diner about two blocks off campus.  
  
They talked the entire time, and barely remembered to actually eat anything. They were too caught up in each other in ways they neither of them ever had time for with their schedules.

Maine, Delta learned, was an only child who had lost his mother to cancer when he was young. He keeps his head shaved for her memory (Delta just about cried). He learned that Maine’s father was a military man, and that he had not seen him in a very long time. But they didn’t talk much about his father. Maine got very reserved and closed off when the topic came up, and Delta knew well enough that there were just some things you just didn’t want to talk about.   
  
Delta tried to share as much in turn, to be interesting and engaging and tried not to let silence lapse, but there wasn’t much to tell. Like Maine, he too was an only child, though there was no disaster with his parents. Maine was very much amused to learn that Delta’s mother simply decided that she wanted to have a baby and so she took that matter into her own hands.  
  
“You’re serious?” Maine asks as they walk back to campus together. It was late, the moonlight lighting their way. “Your mother went to a sperm bank? And then told you about it?”  
  
“It’s not something I can find cause to joke about,” Delta smiles up at him. “My mother is a strong independent woman. She’s always said that she never found cause for needing to pace her life by anything but her own desires.”

“Wow,” Maine grins at him. “That’s so cool. Your mom sounds just awesome, Delta.” 

Delta laughs, shaking his head. “Yes, she is the best. For many reasons.” He looks back up at Maine as they turn a street corner. “She very much took York and Carolina in when we were growing up. Both of their home lives are… difficult.”  
  
“Yeah,” Maine sighs. “York and I got to talking about something like that once,” He sticks his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. “It was a mix of overtired and tipsy. He talks a lot when he gets like that.”  
  
“Yes I’m aware,” Delta laughs again, the sound a touch more subdued. There’s a breeze, chillier than expected, even with it being so late in the fall. “York has always been the type to speak first, think later. And often later never really comes.”  
  
“What about you?” Maine asks, nudging him lightly. They come to a stop at a crosswalk. Delta hits the button before meeting Maine’s gaze.  
  
“What about me?”

“What kind of type are you?”   
  
Delta thinks for a moment, his lips quirking into the slightest of frowns as he mulls that over. Maine gaze is on him and he’s very, very aware of that fact. He thinks he’s keeping his composure pretty well, that he’s managed to stay pretty calm. He’s all too aware of the fact that he’s wearing Maine’s number still, stupid jersey.  
  
“I don’t know,” he says eventually. The crosswalk lights up for them to go, but neither of them move. “I would say I’m quiet, I suppose. Boring probably.”  
  
Maine’s lips quirk in a frown. “You’re not boring.”  
  
“I think I am,” Delta shrugs. “It is fine, I’m well aware that not everyone is content to be as immersed in their studies as I am. I’ve never been as… social as York or Carolina.” He tucks some loose hair behind his ear, honestly he needed to get better hair ties. “I have them. And I have Carolina’s youngest brother, Luke.”  
  
“Luke?” Maine asks, frowning. “I’ve only met them in passing, which of the twins is he?”   
  
“The one that doesn’t go here,” Delta explains. “He’s also the one who keeps trying to get Carolina, and everyone else for that matter, to call him Epsilon.”  
  
“Oh!” Understanding dawns over his face. “Okay, yeah no I know which one. He’s nice. Kind of quiet, at least compared to his brother.” He chuckles, shaking his head and then looks back to Delta. “Hold on. We were talking about you. Not the Church twins.”

Dammit. Almost had him sidetracked.   
  
“Do we have to talk about me?” Delta sighs softly. “I’d much rather we didn’t it. I said it before, I do not find myself to be very interesting.”  
  
He really wanted to stop talking about this. Carolina and York were the interesting ones, the ones that thrived under attention and who easily captured it. Being their friend had many benefits, and it gave him an easy view of this first hand. They were both unfairly gorgeous, kind, funny, and just… great.

But not him.

It wasn’t something he was bitter about, or even something he gave much thought to. But it was the truth. He was okay with it.

Maine evidently was not, if the sudden frown on his lips was anything to go by. His hand reaches out to catch on Delta’s, which definitely causes some surprise. He freezes and looks up at him, surprised. The crosswalk glows white, going ignored as it invites them to cross the street. Delta is hardly paying it any mind.  
  
“I… Maine?”  
  
“You’re great, Delta,” he says softly, eyes intense. “You’re really, really great. I don’t know why you can’t see that, or how you can’t see that everyone thinks you’re amazing. I mean, you’re smart and witty, and a really good fucking friend, I mean the way you are with York alone is… and then there’s your eyes--I…”Maine trails off, seeming to catch himself.   
  
Delta blinks up at him, surprised by the insistence and the all too warm hand on his. That warmth seemed to be spreading up his arm and into his chest and Delta just had to hope it was too dark to see any blush that might be on his cheeks. “I… I must admit,” he says quietly, his fingers curling into the palm of Maine’s. “I don’t know quite what to do with that.”

“Do with it what you will,” Maine smiles, though it doesn’t make his gaze any less intense, or any less focused on Delta.   
  
“Thank you,” he says softly. “I… thank you, Maine.”

They hold each other’s gaze, tethered to each other as they keep seeming to be. Delta’s heart is hammering in his chest, he feels irrational and illogical and God it feels so great. Maine’s smile is fond, that much Delta can tell.

There’s a pressure on his hand and--oh. Oh that’s Maine shifting the grip on his hand and threading their fingers and… oh God what does he do with this?  
  
His breath catches near silently (thank god) and he just barely manages to stop himself from letting his gaze flicker to Maine’s lips. By doing this, he completely catches Maine’s own gaze darting down.  
  
Oh.  _Oh_.

“I…” he says softly, fully away that the crosswalk has signaled them to go several time, and cars have been passing them left and right. “Maine what--”  
  
“Do with it what you will,” Maine says again, voice soft.

Delta’s heart starts playing hopscotch in his chest and he can physically feel his temperature rise. He manages a nod and then Maine smiles just a touch wider, beautiful and warm and Delta wonders how soft his lips must be.   
  
Maine seems like he’s leaning down, closing their height difference and Delta takes the most hesitant step closer, his mind racing incoherently and it strikes him how badly he wants this. Maine’s hand, warm and secure, gives his own a squeeze and--

**_‘Hello, hello, baby, you called? I can't hear a thing. I have got no service, In the club, you say? say?”_ **

Delta jumps at the sound of his phone going off with that damn ringtone that he’d let York set, flushing violently red and warm. He drops Maine’s hand and scrambles to try to get a hand on his emotions, feeling all the world like he’d been caught doing something wrong.   
  
“I--I’m so sorry,” he fumbles for his phone in his pockets, the song still blaring. “That’s York, I...I don’t, Oh God, what could he possibly want?” He doesn’t look to Maine, but as he turns he can catch the edges of a disappointed look crossing Maine’s face.   
  
Oh he was going to murder York.   
  
“What do you want?” He hisses into the phone, annoyance flaring up along side him being flustered and a tad embarrassed. “York I know for a fact that Carolina told you I was-”  
  
“D!” York’s voice cuts him off and there’s an edge of something that is akin to panic and it immediately quells Delta’s anger. “Oh my God, I need your help!”  
  
“York?” He asks, the change in his tone and demeanor striking, even to him. “Marcus, what’s wrong?”   
  
Maine steps forward, immediately tuning in to York’s very rarely used first name.

“There’s a slight problem that I need you to help me with,” York babbles, speaking fast and harried, as though he was forgetting to breathe, which knowing York, was probably the case. “Luke came up for a surprise visit apparently and he and Leo got into a huge fight over something fucking stupid because they’re stupid and Lina and Tucker went out and then went to his and Leo’s place and the twins were fighting and she tried to stop it and shit happened and they made her cry and Luke ran off and he’s not answering his phone!”  
  
“Marcus slow down!” Delta tries to soothe, even as his own concern is rising. There’s a warm hand on his back, and he leans into it unconsciously. “Where are you right now? Is Carolina with you?”  
  
“She’s trying to get a hold of Luke,” York sighs into the phone. “She was afraid that he was going to try to drive back to his school upset and… she’s panicking. And that is bad because Carolina doesn’t fucking panic!”  
  
“You are the one need to stop panicking!” Delta snaps. He hates it when York gets like this. It’s like dealing with the world’s wound up child.  
  
“Delta,” Maine says softly, cutting through the haze and drawing Delta’s attention immediately. “Can I talk to him?”  
  
Delta looks up in surprise. He can feel a dismissal on the tip of his tongue, ready to thank him, but insist that he has a handle on things… but York is still babbling and he just can’t think when he gets like this. Wordlessly he hands the phone to Maine, who smiles as he takes it. Delta is hesitant, but intrigued.  
  
“York,” he says firmly. “Yeah it’s me. Man, you gotta calm down.” Maine listens for a moment and his lips quirk to the side. “No. Stop. I don’t need the backstory. Listen, where are you? Are you with North and Wash?” Pause. “Okay well that sucks, I’m sorry man. No, stay there, alright? Wait for her to calm down, and D will see you soon, alright?”   
  
Delta watches in awe as Maine smiles and then hands the phone back to him. He presses it to his ear. “...York?”  
  
“I’m in Carolina’s room,” York tells him, sounding remarkably calmer now, though there was still an edge to his tone. “She gave me her key and said she’d meet me here, but she’s not back and I’m sitting on her couch.” He sighs, “D, I’m really worried. She was starting to sound like how she used to with shit with her dad… I don’t know what was said but she’s wound tight, D.”  
  
“I’ll be right there,” Delta promises him. “Don’t move, and call me if she gets there before I do, or if you have any news okay?” He gets a quiet affirmative before hanging up the phone and he closes his eyes, sighing.  
  
“You okay?” Maine asks softly, his hand shifting on Delta’s lower back, moving more toward his hip.   
  
“I… yes,” Delta nods. “Things are just… family problems are hard. Especially when it’s the family problems that I am adjacently invested in through either York or Carolina.”   
  
“I get that,” Maine says, nodding. “Sometimes the friends we make are family. Or more than that.”   
  
“I’m… I’m so sorry about...this,” Delta holds his hands out, turning more to face Maine. “I had such an amazing night and I know we talked about maybe going to watch a movie or something but I--”  
  
“Delta. I get it,” Maine reassures him, smiling now. Delta melts at that alone, caught up in the warmth from that beautiful man. “It’s fine. Really.”  
  
“Thank you,” Delta says quietly. A breeze picks up and he shivers as it passes over them. Maine chuckles and before another second can pass Delta finds himself being swathed in the warm, heavy fabric of Maine’s hoodie.   
  
It absolutely drowned him, and it smelled deliciously like cinnamon. Like Maine.   
  
“Maine I don’t need--”  
  
“Take it,” he insists. “It’s getting cold. Carolina’s building isn’t far from here, but you’ll still need it more than me.”  
  
Delta hesitates and then he smiles up at Maine. “Thank you,” he says again, slipping his arms through the sleeves and feeling almost giddy at how far they overhung on his hands. Biting the inside of his lip, he leans up before he can stop himself and presses the lightest of kisses to Maine’s cheek. “Thank you.”  
  
“You’re welcome,” Maine whispers back, eyes nearly molten with a warm fondness and Delta is drowning happily in them. He steps back and is aware of the blush flaring up again.   
  
“I… should go.”  
  
“You should,” Maine agrees, nodding. “I’ll see you tomorrow? Maybe... “ Maine shoves his hands into his pockets, shifting a bit. “Maybe we could grab lunch or something.”  
  
“I would like that,” Delta nod, smiling, barely able to swallow back what he’s damn sure would have been a giggle. “I would… yes, that sounds great.”  
  
“Cool,” Maine nods again. “You want me to walk with you?”  
  
“I would,” Delta doesn’t even hesitate, nodding firmly. And that was all they needed to finally prompt them to cross the streets. Delta is all too aware of the warm hand at his back again as they cross the street and try to fall back into easy conversation. He can feel it even through Maine’s hoodie.   
  
God he is such a mess over this man.   
  
Their evening was cut short, and Delta was damn sure that there was a long night ahead of him… but he can honestly say he didn’t mind.

Things seemed to be working out just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come find me on tumblr!
> 
> sights-sounds-and-rain.tumblr.com


End file.
